Coin bag closing and sealing means



Sept. 20, 1960 Filed May 22, 1959 -M. MITCHKO COIN BAG CLOSING AND SEALING MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. MICHAEL MITCHKQ BY 4% WWW Sept. 20, 1960 Filed May 22, 1959 M. MITCHKO COIN BAG CLOSING AND SEALING MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FlG.9.

I I I IN V EN TOR.

MICHAEL MITC'HKO BY muwwak (UM United States Patent COIN BAG CLOSING AND SEALING MEANS Michael Mitchko, 3018 Boca Ciega Drive N., St. Petersburg, Fla.

Filed May 22, 19 59, Ser. No. 815,199

6 Claims. (Cl. 53-135) This invention relates to sealing open mouth fabric bags, such as canvas coin bags for example, and aims to simplify and improve both the seal and its associated cord and the press for tightly closing the bag and securing the seal upon the cord with a view to preventing access to the contents of the bag without injury to the sealing means or other evidence of tampering likely to lead to prompt discovery of the culprit.

The invention further aims to provide a unitary cord and seal fastening which can be readily secured around the mouth of a bag and impressed with suitable indicia by a simple form of hand press readily operated by women.

Further objects of the invention are to cheapen the cost of the sealing materials and the applying means and reduce the labor required for satisfactorily closing and sealing bags, more especially such as now are commonly used in banks, express agencies and commercial establishments handling quantities of coins.

A preferred form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and some of the advantages of the invention appear in connection with the following description thereof; and what it comprises is more fully set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side view to an enlarged scale of a combined bag tying cord and sealing member forming a unitary assemblage ready for closing and sealing a coin bag or other receptacle with an open mouth; Fig. 2 is a top and front view showing the same as applied to the bag at the end of the closing and sealing operation; and Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the same through the neck of the bag as shown in Fig. 2, the cross-section being taken on the longitudinal center line of the cord and sealing member.

Figs. 4 and 5 are a side view and a top view of the sealing member, respectively; and Fig. 6 is a plan of the blank from which the body of the sealing member is formed.

Figs. 7 and 8 are a front View and a side view, respectively, of a hand press for pulling the cord tight around the neck of the bag and impressing the seal; and Fig. 9 is a sketch, partly in section, on the median plane of the jaws illustrating procedure in tying and sealing the bag by means of the press shown in Fig. 7.

Referring to Fig. 1, the principal element of my invention consists essentially of a short length of flexible safety cord 11 having a knot 12 tied securely at one end and the other end provided with a waxed surface 13 to prevent it from unravelling, one end of the cord being arranged in the shape of a running loop 14 secured by a metal link 15 having at one end a flange 16 with an opening 17 through which the knot end of the cord passes and is held fast. The body of the link is formed with an opening 18 embracing the free end of the cord and which can be closed by a deformable tongue 19 carrying a soft metal seal 20.

This link is preferably stamped from sheet metal of suitable thickness and hardness in the form of a blank Patented Sept. 20, 1960 having perforations 17 and 21 as shown in Fig. 6, the tongue 19 being formed by the metal cut from the part circular orifice 22. Thereafter the flange 16 and tongue 19 are bent to the desired angles by the same pressing operation, which also cups or depresses the metal around the greater part of the orifice 22 to provide a sloping wall 23 against which the cord 11 may be compressed in the subsequent tying and sealing operation without danger of cutting it. The seal 20 is preferably made in the form of a flat disc having a stem 24 which is secured in the opening 21 by rivetting or other suitable means. Positioning notches 25 are formed in the side edges of the link 15.

In the preferred form of my cord and seal unit the link 15 is formed from mild sheet steel about 0.04 in thickness, and the seal 20 is made of soft lead, slightly larger in diameter than the orifice 22 so as to fit snugly in the cup-shape depression 23 when forced into engagement with the cord at the end of the sealing operation.

For convenience in closing the mouth of the bag and securing the cord tightly around the neck of the bag I have devised a hand press as illustrated in Figs. 7, 8 and 9, consisting principally of two levers 30, 31 provided with jaws 32, 33 and pivotally connected near their jaw ends by means of a pivot pin 34 secured to one lever and which can turn in a bearing 35 bored in the other lever. In the illustrative example the pivot bearing is located at the junction of the jaw 33 and operating arm 31. The jaw 32 includes a pair of parallel faces 36 which embrace the jaw end of the lever 31 and the jaw 32 is bifurcated at its end as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, forming a U-shape passage to straddle the cord 11 when applied to a bag in the closing and sealing operation, in order to permit the link 15 to be drawn into sealing position between the jaws 32, 33 as shown in Fig. 9, in which position the notches 25 abut on the outer end portions of the side walls 36.

The jaw 33 is provided with an impression die 38, which preferably is removably secured thereto by any suitable attaching means so as to be changeable from time to time to suit the indicia which it is desired to dsplay.

The lever 31 also serves to pull the cord tight in the bag closing operation, for which purpose it is provided with a square peg 39 on its outer side around which the cord is wrapped after passing through a notch or hole 40 in the lever and around a guide roll 41 journaled on a pin 42 mounted between the side walls 36, the location of this guide roll with respect to the pivot bearing 35 being such as to enable a strong pull to be given to the cord after the link is drawn into sealing position between vthe jaws. If necessary, two or three repetitions of the pulling operation may be applied to close the mouth of the bag securely before completing the sealing operation and clamping the cord in the cup portion of the link, a partial clamping at the end of each pulling sufiicing to hold the cord securely while being regripped.

The final sealing operation causes the cord ,to be firmly gripped between the edge of the tongue 19 and the inclined surface 23 of the link and protected by the edge portion of the seal 20 which partly covers the gap through which the free end of the cord projects. This free end is preferably snipped off near the seal with a pair of nippers or scissors provided with short blades and the bag is ready for delivery. Snipping off the cord prevents its reuse with the same seal by prying open the latter.

I prefer to use a braided spot cord of cotton, nylon or other flexible material, having a breaking strength of not less than pounds, specially constructed to be readily identified and not generally available to the public, as a safety precaution to prevent substitution should any unauthorized person attempt to reuse the seal with a new cord after removal item the bag.

The invention is not restricted to the details of construction as illustrated and described, nor to the particular cord-type of seal herein described; but what I claim the jaws and cord end securing means, and means on one of said levers for engaging the link element of said seal unit and positioning it between said jaws whereby pulling on said cord element enables the latter to be tightened around the mouth of the bag, followed by impressing the seal element to securely lock the cord element to the link element.

2. A combined seal press and bag closing implement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the jaw of the lever mounting the cord guiding means is bifurcated to straddle the cord between the neck of the bag and the link element.

3. A combined seal press and bag closing implement as set forth in claim 1 wherein the jaw on the lever which mounts the means for securing the free endof the cord element is substantially at right angles to the principal axis of the lever and to the jaw portion of the other lever in normal position of the implement.

4. A combined seal press and bag closing implement for applying a cord-type seal to the neck of a bag comprising a pair of manually operable levers each of which has a'handle at one end and a jaw at the opposite end, said levers being pivotally connected to each other near their jaw ends by means secured to one of said levers comprising side walls embracing the other lever through which walls alining holes pass near the outer ends thereof, a pivot pin supported at its ends in said holes and extending through an alining bore in said other lever, said side walls having portions tor engaging and positioning the seal portion of a cord-type seal between their outer extremities, and guide means mounted between said side walls near their ends remote from said pivot pin and spaced from said first one of said levers for guiding an intermediate portion of the cord of said cordtype seal, said other lever having .a projecting arm on its outer face at a point remote fiom said pivot pin around which arm the free end of said cord may be wound to secure it to said last named lever, whereby upon separating the handle ends of said levers the free end of said cord will be pulled around said guide means to tighten the loop portion of said cord-type seal around the neck of a bag, and at the end of said separating movement the jaws of said levers will engage and compress the gripping portion of said seal on the tightened loop of cord. a

5, A combined seal press and bag closing implement as set forth in claim 4 wherein the pivot pin supporting means comprises a portion connecting its side walls torming an anvil for engaging the inner side of the seal and supporting it against the pressure of the movable jaws at the end of the loop tightening movement.

6. A combined seal press and bag closing implement as set forth in claim 4 wherein the lever carrying the projecting arm is provided with a cord receiving and guiding opening adjacent to said arm cooperating therewith to hold said cord during the cord pulling and loop tightening operations.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 702,351 Abbott June 10, 1902 844,095 Brooks Feb. 12, 1907 847,776 Haising Mar. 19, 1907 2,818,622 Clevett Jan. 7, 1958 2,855,647 Smith Oct. 14, 1958 

